Piotr Anderszewski is regarded as one of the outstanding musicians of his generation. He appears regularly in recital at many of the major concert venues around the world. Throughout his career he has concentrated mostly on the classic German/Viennese repertoire encompassing Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Webern. He is also drawn to 20th century central European music, particularly that of Szymanowski and Janácek. He chooses his repertoire carefully, only playing pieces to which he feels he can contribute in an original and personal way. Anderszewski has played with many of the world’s great symphony orchestras, though in recent years he has placed special emphasis on playing and directing. With Mozart concertos in particular, he finds that conducting from the keyboard achieves a more conversational relationship in what he sees as essentially chamber works. To this end he has recorded Mozart with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Sinfonia Varsovia, as well as Beethoven’s first piano concerto with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Piotr Anderszewski’s discography has grown steadily over the last few decades. Since 2000 he has been an exclusive artist with Warner Classics (previously Virgin Classics). His first recording for the label was Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, which went on to receive a number of prizes. He has also recorded Grammy-nominated discs of Bach’s Partitas 1, 3 and 6 and Szymanowski’s solo piano works, the latter also receiving a Gramophone award in 2006. His recording devoted to works by Robert Schumann received the BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Year award in 2012. Other Gramophone awards have followed in 2015 for Bach English Suites and in 2021 for his specially-selected set of 12 Preludes and Fugues from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book 2. A live performance of the Preludes and Fugues from Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie has since been released on DVD. His latest CD is dedicated to piano works by Janácek, Szymanowski and Bartók. Anderszewski has collaborated with various instrumentalists, including Viktoria Mullova, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Nikolaj Znaider and the Belcea Quartet. He also performs with his sister, the violinist Dorota Anderszewska and has occasionally appeared with writers and actors in special projects. As a lieder partner he has worked with Matthias Goerne and is preparing future recitals with Ian Bostridge. Anderszewski’s artistic life has been the subject of several documentaries by the film maker Bruno Monsaingeon. ‘Piotr Anderszewski plays Diabelli Variations’ (2001) explores Anderszewski’s particular relationship with Beethoven’s iconic work. ‘Unquiet Traveller’ (2008) is an unusual artist portrait, capturing Anderszewski’s reflections on music, the composers with whom he has a particular affinity and his Polish-Hungarian roots. In 2016 he found himself behind the camera directing “Warsaw is my name”, a film dedicated to the city of his birth. Anderszewski takes regular breaks from performing to learn new works and to recharge. He is currently writing a book reflecting on his experience as a musician and performer.
Claudio Martinez Mehner began his music studies at an early age at the “Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid” in Madrid with Amparo Fuster, Pedro Lerma and Joaquín Soriano. In addition to his piano studies, he participated in the Spanish National Youth Orchestra as a violist and in the Chamber Orchestra of the German School as a violinist, violist and harpsichord player. He finished his bachelor degree in 1989 He continued his studies at the “Tchaikovsky-Conservatory” in Moscow and the “Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía” in Madrid with Prof. Dmitri Bashkirov, afterwards at the the “Hochschule für Musik” in Freiburg, Germany (Master of Performance, finished 1994), the “Fondazione per il Pianoforte” in Como, Italy; and the “Peabody Conservatory” in Baltimore, US (Artist degree studies) with Vitalij Margulis and Leon Fleisher. In addition, he participated in masterclasses given by Murray Perahia, Fou Ts’ong, Alexis Weissenberg, Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau, and Mstislav Rostropovich, among many others. Lately he has received invaluable advice by Prof. Ferenc Rados in Budapest, Hungary. At the ages of 13 and 15 Claudio Martínez Mehner won first prize with special mention in the German competition “Bundeswettbewerb Jugend musiziert”. He was a finalist in the International Piano Competition “Paloma O’Shea” in Santander (1990), Spain, and won first prizes in the international competitions “Pilar Bayona” in Zaragoza, Spain (1992), “Fondation Chimay” in Belgium (1993), and “Dino Ciani” in Milano, Italy (1993). As a soloist he performed in most major cities in Europe, United States, Russia, Central America, Japan and Korea, with orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Moscow Philharmonic, Filarmónica of the Teatro Alla Scala, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic, Italian Swiss Radio Orchestra, Norddeutsche Rundfunk, Filarmonia Hungarica and most of the major Spanish orchestras. Claudio Martínez-Mehner is an avid chamber music player and has performed with many ensembles in Europe and Asia. Presently he is piano professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, Switzerland and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany. He teaches masterclasses in Europe, Asia and the U.S.
Vitaly Pisarenko – First Prize winner of the 8th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht & Third Prize winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition, 2015
“…Immensely gifted pianist…with prodigious technique, myriad shadings and scrupulous accuracy…” New York Times
After winning the First Prize at the 8th F. Liszt International Piano Competition in Utrecht and the Third Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition London-based Ukrainian-Russian pianist Vitaly Pisarenko has been steadily gaining worldwide recognition. Vitaly’s packed tour schedule commenced straight away the morning after the Finals with an appearance at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Vitaly regularly performs across the globe as a recitalist and a chamber musician. Past concerts include appearances at the Wigmore Hall, Musikverein in Vienna, Bozar in Brussels, National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Concert Hall, Mozarteum in Salzburg, de Singel in Antwerp, Toyota Concert Hall in Japan, Hong Kong City Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris and Palace of Arts in Budapest. As a soloist Vitaly collaborated with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Noord Nederlands Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in Japan, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Het Gelders Orchestra, the YMSO and others performing at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, Big Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, Tokyo Opera City, Seoul Arts Center, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Sala San Paulo in Brazil and De Doelen in Rotterdam among others. The Association of Music Critics of Argentina recently presented Vitaly with the ‘2018 Revelation Award’. Recently Vitaly has been performing intensively in the UK, including performances at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Cadogan Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Champs Hill, Chopin Society UK, BMS York and others. Vitaly started his musical education in his native Kiev, Ukraine with Natalia Romenskaya and in Kharkiv with Garri Gelfgat. Later on, he commenced his studies in Moscow with Professor Yuri Slesarev at the Central Music School and State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. From 2005 to 2008 Vitaly studied with Aquiles delle Vigne at the Codarts, Rotterdam and from 2009 to 2012 he was a student of Oxana Yablonskaya in Italy. Since September 2012 Vitaly has been a student at the Royal College of Music in London, where he studies with Professor Dmitri Alexeev. Vitaly completed his Master’s degree with distinction in 2014 and Artist Diploma degree in 2015 and is currently a Doctoral course student as an Emma Rose Memorial Scholar and a Bob and Sarah Wigley and Helmut Schuster Scholar. Starting from 2012 Vitaly has been also studying with Professor Boris Petrushansky at the ‘Incontri col Maestro’ Academy in Imola, Italy. Since January 2020 Vitaly is a principal study teacher at the Purcell School for young musicians. In September 2021 he has been appointed an Assistant Professor of piano at the Royal College of Music, London.
Ilya Maximov is the winner of the G.B. Viotti International Piano Competition in Italy. He has a wide range of repertoire starting from early classics to modern composers. He performed at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals in Europe, Asia and America including Bratislava Philharmonic, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Salle Cortot in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Chamber Hall of Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Morinomiye Piloti Hall in Osaka, Suginami Kokaido in Tokyo, Esplanade Hall in Singapore, Theatre A. Roldán in Havana and La Sapienza in Rome. Maximov regularly performs as a soloist and with various orchestras such as Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Teatro Carlo Felice Orchestra, Wuhan Symphonic Orchestra, Singapore Youth Symphonic Orchestra, Orchestra Simfònica del Valles, Ural state symphony orchestra, Havana National Symphonic Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra among others. He collaborated with such conductors as Justus Franz, James P Liu, Misha Katz, Dmitry Yablonsky, Darrell Ang, and James Ross. Ilya Maximov’s successes include top prizes at many international competitions, including Maria Canals International Piano competition (Spain), Hilton Head International Piano Competition (USA), Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition (Spain) and at the Scottish International Piano Competition. In 2011 he has received the prestigious Public Award prize at Musical Olympus festival in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Ilya Maximov graduated from Conservatorio Superior del Liceu in Barcelona, Royal College of Music in London and Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg where he studied with a renowned pianists and pedagogues Stanislav Pochekin, Dmitri Alexeev and Pavel Gililov. Alongside solo career, he currently teaches at Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg.
Rafael Lipstein is a German/Argentinian pianist who is praised by the critics for his poetry and unique interpretations. Started playing the piano at age of 11 under the guidance of his father. At the age of 14 continued his studies with Pavel Gililov at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and Universitat Mozarteum in Salzburg. Furthermore he worked with artists such as Martha Argerich, Maria Joao Pires, Gabriela Montero, Ivry Gitlis, Ferenc Rados and many others. After being forced to interrupt his career at the age of 23 due to a neurological injury, he started developing a big interest in the body and it’s biomechanical but also emotional role in music making.
Currently Rafael Lipstein is studying Music Physiology at the ZHdK Zurich. He works with different approaches ia. Taubman approach under close guidance of specialist Robert Durso and the Pianosomatics with Alan Fraser. In his sessions any topic ranging from technical difficulties, discomfort, pain, stage fright or limitations in expression can be addressed.
